The present invention relates to gaming apparatus and methods of gaming. In particular, the present invention relates to a gaming machine or system with a novel arrangement for symbol selection.
With the increase of gambling at gaming venues has come increased competition between gaming venues to obtain a larger share of the total gambling spend. Gaming venue operators have therefore continuously looked for new variations and types of games in order to attract both new and return customers to their venues.
In response to this need, suppliers of gaming devices and systems have attempted to provide the sought after variety, while still developing games that comply with the relevant regulations in the jurisdiction of the gaming venue operator. Suppliers of gaming devices therefore are faced with restrictions on the types of games and gaming apparatus that are allowable, both in terms of the prevailing regulations and in terms of providing a return on investment to the gaming venue operators.
In addition, it is important that a player be able to understand the operation of a game quickly so that the player promptly feels that they are in control of game play and can therefore extract maximum entertainment from the game.
One well known type of existing gaming machine incorporates spinning reels with pay lines. In recent years spinning reel games have typically comprised video screen displays which show simulations of spinning reels. A typical video spinning reel game will have say five spinning reels, and when the reels are at rest three symbol symbols from each real are shown on the screen, thus displaying a matrix of 3 by 5 symbols. Pay lines are defined through the symbols. Early machines had only limited numbers of pay lines, typically three horizontal pay lines through the three rows of symbols, but in recent years the advent of high speed computer processing has allowed far more complicated pay lines to be introduced, and indeed, machines with 50 or more pay lines are currently known.
Typical current spinning reel type machines do not have any vertical pay lines since the symbols on the reel are in a defined relationship relative to each other, that is, the symbols on each reel are in a pre-arranged relationship relative to each other, and there is therefore nothing random about which symbols are next to each other in any column of the machine. One prior art document, U.S. Pat. No. Re 34,244 (Hagiwara), discloses a somewhat different arrangement in which the symbols in a column are each defined by an independent spinning reel. Thus, each symbol position has its own spinning reel, and each spinning reel only displays one symbol. Hagiwara discloses a 3×3 matrix of symbols, thus requiring 9 spinning reels. It will be appreciated that the symbols displayed in a Hagiwara type device are limited to those symbols on the reels.
Any reference in this specification to the prior art does not constitute an admission that such prior art was well known or forms part of the common general knowledge in any jurisdiction.